Effect of Family Coping Intervention on Family System Strengths among the Caregivers of Stroke Survivors

In Industrialized countries stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability among people living in their own homes. If a person survives, the initial effects of stroke, much functional capacity can often be restored with intensive rehabilitation efforts. WHO Collaborative study showed that both developed and underdeveloped country nearly one third of stroke patients died in three weeks and 48% died within one year. The incidence of stroke is about 19% higher in males than in females. About 25% of cases occur in people younger than age 65(American Heart Association, 2007). The presence of a serious, chronic illness in one family member usually has a profound impact on the family system, especially on its role structure and the family functions. Families play an important supportive role during the course of a client's convalescence or rehabilitation. Most caregivers of stroke survivors find themselves in a stressful situation. Research has shown that taking care of stroke survivors creates burdens for caregivers and decreases their levels of well-being. To evaluate the Effect of Family Coping Intervention on Family System Strengths among the care givers of stroke survivors. True Experimental pretest and posttest design. The study was conducted in Kattankulathur Block, Tamilnadu. 240 caregivers of stroke survivors participated in the study. The experimental group was given family coping interventions such as counseling, enrollment in self help groups, and involvement in recreational activities, After 3 months, there was significant difference in the family system strengths between the experimental group and control group at t=37.58, andp value was 0.001. The present study concluded that Family Coping Intervention programme is an effective nursing Intervention recommended for the caregivers of stroke survivors to enhance their Family system strengths.